That was very wordy and I just proved why I am not a writer. The hockey game is on right now and I wish the Canucks would just score already. It's so intense and it's so long! A good game over all in competitiveness.
Today at work I had a great day. It was a short day and then I had to go and get the car updated on maintenance. An hour and a half later and I was on my way. I did not expect to sit there that long. I was not pleased because that was valuable time wasted just sitting there. I know it needs to be done but it was a costly visit and I was not expecting that either. As my dad says, once you buy a car you might as well just dig a hole and throw money into it. Also a Dad tip: when you have a beater of a car you should always carry a stick of dynamite and a shovel. That way when it breaks down on you on the highway you have a quick solution. Thanks dad for your words of wisdom :) Instead I just overheated my cars and allowed them to die in that way. Maybe I should explain:
My first car I bought before I had a learners licence. I would sit in it and listen to the radio. It was fun. After I got my licence (Jan 3, 1997) I was a free roamer. Having my best friend living in Abbotsford I would make trips down there on my own frequently. Well being a 16 year old and only knowing about putting gas in the car to make it run, oh and oil I thought I knew it all. Not knowing that a car also needs water and anti-freeze I had not checked the levels. As I pulled into Merritt smoke appeared from under the hood. Freaked out I pulled into the first gas station and quickly looked for a man that looked matured (you know, like my dad). There was one such person and he came and checked my car and said, uh oh...there is a major leak and it doesn't look good. I filled my car up with water and anti-freeze and headed the rest of the way to Abbotsford. Once I got there I took it to a family friend mechanic. He told me that it was going to cost a lot of money since the head gasket needed to be replaced. I sold the car to him for $50 and took the bus home.
My second car: I knew all about the process of checking all the levels. I was just coming into Chilliwack when a familiar cloud of smoke started coming from under my hood. What is this, I thought to myself. Not again! How could this happen. I pulled over and hiked to the closest house to call for a tow truck (This was before cellphones). I went back to my car and realized that I had locked myself out of the car. AH! Can this get any worse? I got my car towed and called my dad. He came down and after I saw a mechanic I decided I would limp it to Abbotsford to see that family friend mechanic again. I got there and he told me the same fate with this car. I decided to get this car fixed. My dad was shocked, it's even more of a junker than the last one! But Dad, it has tinted windows! It's worth the $1700 to fix it. But you only paid $300 for it! Feelings over logic on this one. So I fixed it. It was shortly after that when I bought my Tracker (Which I had for over 10 years) and I decided I didn't want this other car any more since I can only drive one car. So what did I do with it? I traded it, with my brother. He gets my car, I get his N64! I still have the system, he no longer has the car! I say I won that deal!
My Tracker did have issues, but nothing ever related to the head gasket. I think I finally learned my lesson. Always check your fluid levels...and if you don't know how, it's worth learning!
Inigo story: Totally off topic, I took Inigo for a walk outside today. He absolutely loved it. At first he stayed really close to my face on my shoulder. Than he got really brave and flew down. Except he landed right in the middle of the sprinkler action. He did not like this very much. It was easy to get him to come back. Than we went for a walk up to the mailbox. As soon as I stopped he flew off one more time. I picked him up and held him in my closed hands until we built up enough trust for me to let him try again. He sat on my shoulder and stayed there for the remainder of our walk. It was really cute. He chirped for joy the entire time.
Well until next time. Happy weekend
